THANKS TO ALL OF YOU

First, I was out two days ago, and collected an icecream pail full of wild grape, so I can make wild grap jelly for my wife and daughter. It is easy to do, just follow the directions on a Sure-Gel box. And it tastes great. WEisdl plums (for plum jelly) are just about ready, and walnuts are a ways off. LOtsof weildflwoers till i n bloom. purple vervain, balck eyed susand, purpel cone flowers, and of course goldenrod. ake the kids out fruit picking - it is nutririous, tasty and fun.

I want to thank all of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter - and have sent your thoughts and prayers to us. They are greatly apreciated.

For those of you who do not know, I have been suffering from chronic pain due to 9 pinched nerves and arthritis in my neck and back for about 7 years. It is extremely painful in both arms, both sides of my neck, both sides of my lower back, both legs, and the front and back of my midsection, plus the atypical pain in my face. I also have neuropathy (nerve damage) of my feet, which makes them extremely tender, and feels as if I am walking on pins and needles. I am on 60 mg of morphine every 4 hours around the clock, and take up to 150 mg when I have spikes in pain.

On top of that my daugher is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, because 3 of her close friends have been killed in the war on terrorims in the last 4 months. She also just found out about her mothers' cancer, and she recently ran into a man who made a death threat against her, and who she helped put in prison, who was recently released from prison - without her knowledge. It was quite a scare for her.

In late June my wife was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer. She had about 1 month of testing (which cost us about $55,000) and is now getting chemo and radiation treatments, because they cannot operate on her lung, or remove it at this point. The hope is that they can shrink the tumor, so that they may be able to remove her lung. You can follow her progress on Caring Bridge. If you want to make a donation to help pay for her treament and special food requirements expenses, you can make a donation to my Pay Pal Account at TRMichels@yahoo.com.

AND, my son recently had back surgery - to repair a pinched nerve which could have left him paralyzed - so I have to take care of his 9 month old son (the apple of my eye) during the week.

Needless to say - we are a family that has been under a lot of stress, and now is under more stress than ever - which is why I have not been posting on any of the 50+ talk forums I regularly post on. You can follow me and some of my hunting tips on Facebook or Twitter. Look for "T.R. Michels" or "Trinity Mountain Outdoors". On Facebook. I also have pages for "Protect Minnesota's Research Bears" and "Hunters Concerned for Legislation on Conservation (CLAC) on Facebook.

As I said, I thank all of you who have sent e-mails with your thoughts and prayers,. I cannot begin to tell you how much they mean to us. It is our your thoughts and our faith in Yahweh-God that sustains us and give us strength in our difficult times.

May God bless all of you,

T.R. Michels Trinity Mountain Outdoors, owner

PS: If you smoke, please quit, it is what caused my wife's cancer. I cannot tell you what the patient goes through (it must be hell), but I can tell you that the word CANCER makes it very difficult for those who care about the patient ( I now suffer from deep anxiety too) . If you smoke, you may be hurting your loved ones too. Please do not smoke or chew.

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T.R. Michels is a professional guide who specializes in trophy whitetail, turkey and bear hunts in Minnesota. He has guided in the Rocky Mountains for elk and mule deer, too. He publishes the Trinity Mountain Outdoors website at www.TRMichels.com.